First Chance
by BabyKakes
Summary: A Terry/Max fic. When Max gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Terry must save her. Fortunately, he gets more than he bargains for.
1. Night in Gotham City

Night in Gotham City

Night in Gotham City.

The warehouses were unusually busy at that time of night. Agent Thomas stood on watch, making sure their project wouldn't be interrupted. 

He and a few other agents were busy at the warehouses, packing their trucks before taking them to their boss, Tanner. He was a very important man, did lots of business with lots of important people. He called himself the King of persuasion. Others considered him the Mobster King.

It was December and already the town was covered with snow. Thick snow. And it was so cold you couldn't go out without extra layers of clothes. 

Thomas turned his attention to his three other agents as they picked up the boxes stacked up and down the alley and push them into the back of the truck. They worked hurriedly, hoping to get finished and out of there before anyone came. 

Thomas was new to the city, but he knew what the people were talking about when they said they didn't want _him_ to find them. 

__

Him was Batman. 

The dark knight himself. 

He heard the stories. Heard that Batman had been around even during the late 1900's. That he had powers, almost like Superman himself. Heard that he was like a monster creeping through the night. Some even said he wasn't human. 

But they were all just stories. Never in his life had he ever met this Batman. And despite the doubt, he didn't want to either. 

"Come on, hurry up!" He barked, crossing his arms and blowing on his hands to keep them warm. "You don't want Tanner to be disappointed with his investment, do ya?"

The workers muttered a reply and tried to pick up the pace, fighting against the bitter cold and constant snow falling on them. Thomas turned back to the street. 

"I just want to get out of here," he muttered to himself, hugging himself, trying to keep warm. 

He was head of the project, to pack up Tanner's investment and taking them to the Big Boss himself. This was the first time Tanner had ever come to Gotham. Most of the time he worked in the outskirts of Metropolis, which meant dodging the Justice League. 

But here in Gotham, there was no Justice League. At least none that he could see. The Justice League didn't creep up on their enemies. 

Batman did, though. You never knew he was there watching you until it was too late.

He turned back around to watch the workers and wasn't pleased to see what little progress they had made. 

"Come on, hurry up!" He ordered.

"We're going as fast as we can," one of them argued, "why don't you get over here and give us a hand instead of watching us?"

Thomas opened his mouth to reply, but there was no time for one. He jumped back as he heard something whizzing through the air, brushing right past his face. He yelped as a bat-shaped disk flew into the side of the wall, embedding itself in the brick. 

"Batman!" One of the workers shouted, as more batarangs flew through the air, some hitting them, some getting stuck in the crates.

Before any of them could try to run away, they all saw the dark figure drop down from above, legs and arms punching and kicking the movers before he had even touched the ground. Thomas tried to get away, but the dark figure unleashed some sort of whip from his hands, tying itself around his legs tightly. He lost his balance and hit the ground hard. Everything went black. 

Batman dropped to the ground and the workers advanced on him, arms out and ready to fight. He fought through them quickly before they could get away, knocking them out with as much strength as he and the suit could do put together so they'd go down right away. In the corner of his eye one of the workers was running away, and he released a bat-whip (what do you cal those things?) on him. It caught him around the legs and the man fell to the ground, not getting up. 

Most of the men were now on the ground, moaning in pain. He grabbed the one that was the least hurt and slammed him up against the truck. 

"Who are you working for?" the Bat demanded, his voice low and hard.

The worker's eyes widened and tried to fight back. Batman simply held him there, the blows ineffective against the suit. 

Finally the man gave in. 

"We're working for Mr. Tanner!" he blurted out.

The name was unfamiliar. Batman didn't release his grip. 

"Who is he?"

"I told you, Mr. Tanner!"

"What is he doing here?"

"We were picking up his investment from Wayne Powers-"

"Wayne Powers hasn't made any investments with anyone." Batman tightened his grip. 

"I don't know nothing! I'm just carrying out Tanner's orders!"

"Who ordered the shipment?"

"I don't know! Some guy by the name of Blite-"

That's when Batman released him. The man lost his balance and fell into the snow. Batman remained where he was, watching them and thinking quickly to himself. 

The sound of police sirens erupted somewhere not far away, then, and the workers lying on the ground started shaking, knowing they were caught. 

The man Batman had gotten his information from turned to see what the Dark Knight would do, but he was already gone.

"Said he was working for some guy named Tanner," Terry said, pulling off the Bat mask and approaching the main computer. "Working with Blite."

Bruce Wayne, the old and nearly retired owner of Wayne Powers sat in front of the computer in his chair, typed in the name. He sat back, resting his chin in his hand, watching the screen thoughtfully. Beside him lay the black Doberman, watching the screen with an equal expression. 

"Tanner…interesting," Bruce finally commented. 

Terry had walked away from the computer then, changing out of his clothes. "You know him?"

"No, but the name sounds familiar."

"I'll bet."

The screen stopped on a man's profile, a picture of him on the side of his description. Terry glanced back to take a good look at him. He looked like a middle-aged man with wavy brown hair and a hard looking face. A scar ran down his right cheek, making him look even scarier. 

"Whoa, what happened to him?" 

"Some accident a long time ago. His name is Matt Tanner, someone you'd call the Mobster King. Very powerful, easy to anger. He's new to Gotham City."

"Said he was investing with Wayne Powers."

"That's where Blite comes in."

"I thought-"

"He's partnering up with him in secret," Bruce answered for him. "I don't know what they're doing, but they have to be stopped. They were taking a shipment of radioactive chemicals from the lab."

"Whoa."

Bruce didn't answer that. He just studied the screen, cane in hand. 

"Where can we find him?" Terry finally asked, walking up behind him.

Bruce pressed a key and the profile vanished from the screen, replaced by the map of Gotham City. The screen moved over the city for a moment, and finally rested on the outskirts. Miles and miles of snow. 

"There," Bruce pointed his cane at the screen. Sitting right in the middle of the expanse of snow, was a single building.

"How do you know?"

The screen changed again, this time to Wayne Power's investment list. Bruce pointed again. 

"Because the shipment was sent to that address."

"Oh. I knew that."

"So you're going to be facing up against a Mobster King?" Max asked. "Sounds good to me."

Terry gave her a withering look. "The only reason I'm telling you this is because you asked. Don't get any ideas."

The two were walking through the mall. Max was the only one carrying bags. She needed to buy some new CD's and had asked Terry to come along. 

"Who said anything about ideas?" Max glanced at the shops as they walked by. "I'm just saying that it might be good for you to have some help."

"I don't need any help, Max."

"Sure you do! There _was_ a Batgirl, remember? I can be your Batgirl!"

"Don't even try, it's too dangerous."

"Whatever you say McGinnis. I just think- oh!"

She cut herself off when she saw a bikini hanging off one of the racks at the front of the store. She rushed over to it, handing Terry her bags. He took them reluctantly and followed. 

"What do you think of this?" she asked, taking the bikini off the rack and holding it to her body. "Totally shway, right?"

He stared at her, trying to picture her in the suit. She got the feeling that she must have looked pretty good because he started blushing.

"Isn't a little cold to go swimming?" he asked. 

"I can always save it for when it gets warmer." She put it back on the rack, remembering how much she had already spent on her cash cards. "But looks like it's going to have to wait." They started walking again. "So, how's Dana doing?"

"She and her family went out of town on some winter trip. Won't be back in a while."

"So's my parents. They wanted me to go too, but I didn't really want to leave wonderful, freezing Gotham for a trip to the Bahamas." She grinned. 

"Having second thoughts?"

"Yup. So, where's this Tanner guy…located?"

"Outskirts, west of here. But I don't expect to see you there. If I do-"

"Will you relax? I'll be good, okay? I'll stay home."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. 

Terry sometimes loved hanging out with Max.


	2. Freezing Tonight

That night Terry went back to the Batcave long enough to check the map and double check with Bruce

That night Terry went back to the Batcave long enough to check the map and double check with Bruce. After that, he was gone and heading for the outskirts. 

At the same time, Max was leaving her house, dressed in heavy winter clothes and carrying a flashlight. 

__

Gotham outskirts, here I come, she thought.

Tanner considered himself a very important man. Rich, powerful, not to mention good looking…well before the accident with his face. 

But that was just details. 

And right now he was angry. 

"I thought you had everything in control!" He yelled at the monitor where he was sharing a connection with Mr. Blite. 

Blite merely smiled. "Apparently you're a newbie when it comes to Gotham. If I were out there, I would've had special men prepared for the Bat myself."

"You could've at least warned me. Now I have nothing!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. If you come to my office later tonight, I'll have the shipments ready and prepared for you."

Tanner relaxed a little bit. "You sure."

"Always, Mr. Tanner."

All right then. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You got it." The connection broke and the screen went blank. Tanner turned around, thinking. 

He had taken the entire warehouse just off the outskirts of Gotham and turned it into his base. The room he was in was covered with electronics and monitors. He didn't really need the radioactive, not for himself anyway. He needed it to conceal the deal between himself and another mobster. The only way to get it was from Wayne Powers. 

But enough of that. He had more important things to think about. Like the Batman. 

"Sir," a guard spoke up, stepping into the room. Tanner spun around. 

"What is it?"

"We found _her _sneaking around outside the building." At the word 'her', he turned and shoved a young woman into the room. She stumbled halfway and fell. Angry, she turned and glared at the guard. 

Tanner looked down at her. She was a tall and curvy African-American with bright pink hair. She wore a thick jacket with an even thicker coat over it. She had snow all over her body. 

"Who are you?" he demanded as she got to her feet. 

"I'm not here to cause any trouble," she stammered.

"So you say. Name?"

She hesitated.

"You have a name, don't you?"

"What's your name?" she shot back.

He smiled. This was a feisty one. "Apparently you don't know who you're dealing with," he said. "We're very powerful people and we get angry very easily."

"So does the next bully."

"Yes, that's right." He looked at the guard meaningfully. 

She caught the look. "I was just exploring around here," she said, "when I saw your building. And I thought no one lived here so I was checking it out, and this guy grabbed be and brought me in here!" She tried to make her story sound convincing. 

Tanner frowned. "Nice story, but I don't really care." He looked at the guard. "Dump her."

Her eyes widened. "No!"

The guard reached for her, and she immediately fought back, much to Tanner's surprise. More guards rushed in and grabbed her. She fought off as much as she could, and looked like she might even get away, when one of them stuck a syringe right into her arm. She fell to the ground, dropping out of consciousness.

Unfortunately some of the guards didn't realize it, and started punching and kicking her. Tanner winced. That would leave a mark. 

When they were sure the girl was unconscious, they picked her up and started dragging her from the room. Tanner watched on. He knew what they were going to do to her.

Batman crept along the top of the building, his camouflage on, blending in nicely with the surroundings. He loved that part of the suit. Made him feel invisible. Invincible. 

He had already discovered the way into the building, he just had to wait for the right time. Meanwhile he watched the guards on their posts, picking and choosing. 

Finally he dropped down from the roof. 

When Max was able to wake up, she didn't know where she was. 

Everything was so dark, but the floor was vibrating. Whatever she was in was moving. 

She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Her whole body was weak. Whatever they had hit her with hit her hard. 

She lay there, trying to feel around, listening to whatever was around her. After a moment, she was realized she was in some sort of vehicle. 

Her body hurt. All over, she could feel bruises and swelling. What were they going to do to her? 

Suddenly she wished she had listened to Terry.

The vehicle stopped moving and someone slid open the side door. Moonlight streamed in, causing her to wince and groan in pain. 

Hands grabbed her, pulling her over the side. She didn't put up a fight, she was too weak to. 

She could feel the edge of the vehicle as they dragged her over, plopping her down on the snow. She could feel the cold bite through her warm layers, and was glad she was still wearing them. 

"We're here," she heard a voice say, and right away, more hands grabbed her, pulling off her coat and jacket. She tried fighting back but her whole body was too weak. They took off her gloves, removed the hat and scarf, until she was wearing only her black pants and yellow shirt. 

She just lay there, helpless, thinking they were going to rape her, but they didn't. Instead they picked her up, carried her over a couple of yards, and dropped her in the snow. The cold bit into her skin and she started shivering uncontrollably. 

She opened her eyes long enough to see the men climb back into the vehicle and drive away, leaving her in the middle of nowhere. 

They had left her to freeze to death. 


	3. I Love You

Tanner was sure he wasn't going to have any more interruptions

Tanner was sure he wasn't going to have any more interruptions. 

The guard had already called in confirming they had deserted the girl just a couple of miles from where he was. He nodded his reply. Good.

He started making scans of his computer programs, making sure they were in check for when he got the stuff from Drake. Then he checked what time he had left. 

Things were running fairly smoothly. 

"All ready," he spoke into the microphone, broadcasting his voice to all his workers throughout the warehouse. "We should be fine as long as you keep out for the Bat."

"Too late for that." The voice came from directly in front of him, but there was no one there. 

He stepped back, but before he could shout a warning, a black blur appeared right in front of him, feet kicking him in the chest. Tanner flew back, sliding against the ground. 

Batman dropped down off the console to the ground. Guards came rushing in through the door, and with the flick of his hand and a squeeze of his glove, batarangs went flying through the air, blocking them off. 

The guards that managed to get through attacked him, and for a brief moment found himself in hand to hand combat, fighting them off. 

Less than a minute later, all the guards were on the ground unconscious. 

Batman eyed the door. He knew it wouldn't be long before more came. 

Tanner was crawling away, getting to his feet, his eyes wide. Must have never seen Batman before. 

Batman walked toward him menacingly, arms out. 

"Stop!" Tanner shouted, "you don't want to do this to me!"

"I don't?" The Dark Knight sounded even meaner than he looked. 

"If you do, you'll never find out where your friend is!"  


He froze. "Friend?"

Tanner was sweating as he eyed the door. Where were those damn guards?

"I-I don't know if she was with you or not, but she was here right before you! I don't know her name, she was sneaking around and I had her dumped a couple miles from here-"

Batman had a familiar, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

"She was African-American with bright pink hair and-"

Batman's eyes widened, but before he could say or do anything, a loud noise erupted from down the hall and twice as many guards rushed into the room. 

This time they all carried weapons. 

Tanner was grinning now. "Whatcha gonna do now, huh Bats?"

Batman stepped backward, eyeing his attackers, than at Tanner. Choices, choices. He could tell the Mob King was thinking the same thing. 

Finally the Dark Knight reached into his belt and threw down three small pellets. They erupted in thick smoke just as the guards ran to attack him. 

The smoke threw them off, and they stood there for a moment, confused. 

When the smoke faded, Batman was gone.

Bruce sat in his chair, hands crossed, resting on his cane. He was watching the screen, and through it he could see everything Terry was seeing. 

And right now, Terry was running from the battle. 

"What happened?" he demanded. 

"Max is in trouble," Terry's voice replied, coming in loud and clear through the speakers.

"You should've stayed and taken care of Tanner."

Terry was now in the Bat plane, starting it up and flying it away from the warehouses. All he could see was white snow below. 

Even though Bruce wasn't saying anything, Terry could hint the disapproval in the silence.

"I don't care," he said, "I need to find Max. I'll deal with Tanner later. Think you can find his location then for me?"

Bruce sighed. 

Max was beginning to lose feeling in her body. The cold was making her shiver even harder now, and now snow was starting to fall from the sky. 

She was so weak she couldn't even get up. She just lay there, shivering, hugging herself, trying to get warm. 

How long has she been out here? It seemed like ages. Was she going to die? What if nobody found her? She was far from anywhere, if no one found her soon…

She started when she heard the faint sound of an engine as something landed close by her. The cold was blocking out her hearing though, so she wasn't sure. 

Then she heard snow crunching under footsteps and a faint voice calling her name.

"Max! Max!"

She tried to answer, but her teeth were chattering so hard that she couldn't utter a sound. 

Then she felt strong arms around her and lift her up. She leaned against the chest of whoever was carrying her, and recognized it as Batman's. 

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t-", she chattered. 

"Shh," his voice was gentle as he started running back to his ride. "I've got you Max, everything is going to be okay."

She wasn't so sure about that, but now that Terry was there, she felt better. She tried to lift her arms to hug him, but she couldn't even do that. She just stayed huddled up in his arms, trying to get warm. She never felt so relieved to know he was with her.

Max's house was empty and dark. It didn't take long for Terry to get inside and carry her to her room. Her parents were gone, leaving no one else in the house. 

"T-t-terry," Max stuttered, as he lay her down on the bed. 

"It's okay Max," he said, "we'll just get you warm."

"It's s-s-so cold, so cold…" She didn't have any energy to huddle up. 

He pulled back the covers of her bed and lay her under them, then realized that with her wet clothes on the blankets wouldn't be much of a difference.

"Uh…Max, I'm going to have to…" 

She didn't reply. She continued shivering, eyes cold. 

Gingerly, and looking away at the same time, he started pulling off her shirt. He knew this was Max and everything, but it just didn't feel right looking at her in that way, no matter how he felt. 

He hung the shirt over a nearby chair and contemplated what to do with her pants. Finally, keeping his eyes averted, pulled them off, put them over a different chair, and pulled the blanket over her body all the way up to her chin. 

"It's okay Max, you'll be warm now," he assured her.

"Terry…" she murmured, her eyes still closed, her head rolled to one side. 

"Don't try to talk," he said, "you're burning up and you have a fever. I don't know how long it will last."

"Terry…"

"Shh, I said don't talk. You'll be talking deliriously right now so you should stay quiet and get some rest. I'll go turn the heater up."

He turned to find the thermostat, keeping his face still masked.

"Terry, don't leave me," she said, her eyes still closed. She curled up into a little ball underneath the blanket. 

He turned and looked at her, then reluctantly walked back, sitting beside her.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, "I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it, forget it."

"No, I'm really sorry. And I wanted to say…I wanted to say thank you, thank you for s-s-saving me."

"Don't worry about it-"

"And if something happens to me-"

"Which it won't."

"I wanted to say that…" she opened her eyes now and looked right at him. Her eyes looked glazed. "That you look good, _real_ good in that Bat suit."

He rose an eyebrow. "Uh…thanks Max…."

"No, I mean really good, it's always nice to see you in that."

He wasn't exactly sure how to respond.

"Max, do you know what you're saying?"

She smiled up at him. "Not really…but really, you look really hot in the suit. I like you too. I like you a lot."

His eyes widened.

"No, I mean I _really _like you a lot. A whole lot, you know what I'm saying?" Now she snuggled up and closed her eyes, curling back up in the ball. "A whole lot…"

She seemed to have drift off to sleep, but he remained there, watching her. 

He was surprised to hear what he had heard, but at the same time he liked it. He had always wanted to hear it.

Then he had to question himself. She was delirious. Most people in her state didn't know what they were talking about, they just blabbed on and on. 

But still…

"Terry."

The voice was in his head, low and stern. 

"Yeah," he replied, still looking down at Max.

"Where are you."

"Max's."

"What are you doing over there?"

"She's really ill, Bruce. They dumped her in the snow without any protection for who knows how long."

"Keep her warm until morning."

"Doing that."

"I've got Tanner's next location."

"Okay. Let me get back to you."

Bruce's voice went away and Terry stood up. He glanced at Max, then turned to leave the room.

"Terry."

She was still awake. He turned at the sound of her voice. She was moving beneath the covers, turning toward his direction. Her eyes were still closed.

"Yeah?" he said. 

"I love you."

The words stunned him for a moment, quiet but sincere. He stared back at her as she slowly drifted out of consciousness. 

Then he smiled.

She coughed suddenly, surprising both him and her, and she had to shift her position. He ran over to her and held on to her as she continued coughing. When she finally stopped she lay back down, shivering.

He narrowed his eyes. Tanner was going to pay for this.


	4. Dealing With Death

Batman climbed into the cockpit, listening as the hanger closed over him, concealing him inside

Batman climbed into the cockpit, listening as the hanger closed over him, concealing him inside. Then he pressed the button that connected to Bruce Wayne back at the cave.

"Okay," he said. 

Bruce was giving him one of those looks. Batman recognized it. It was one of those "I'm not pleased with you and you can't keep doing this" looks, but he ignored it. 

"He's apparently made some sort of deal with Blite and he's heading over there right now."

"On it."

He started up the plane, both hands on the controls. It was like smooth sailing, having done it million times before. Bruce Wayne was still watching him. His next question surprised him. 

"How's she doing?"

"Not too well. She's really sick, got it bad. You should've seen her when I picked her up. She was practically an icicle. High fever, the works."

"What happened while you were at her place?"

Batman gave him a look. "What do you mean?"

"I heard everything."

The look on Batman's face would've been comical if it would've been a different situation. But now Bruce knew better than to continue. 

Batman didn't reply for a long moment. Finally he said, "You know, I've been thinking about getting a safety lock on that thing."

"There is."

"Really? Why haven't you told me?"

"That's beside the point. What are you going to do now?"

He paused. "I don't know."

Blite checked his make-up before Tanner came in. He wanted to make sure he looked perfectly presentable. Tanner was an outsider. No use scaring him off before their deal. 

He had picked his office at Wayne Powers for the meeting place. Late at night, no one else was there, it worked fine. Now he just had to count on that everything would run smoothly. 

There was a knock on the door and he got to his feet. "Come in."

The door opened and Tanner walked in, three of his men following behind. Blite smiled. "Welcome, Mr. Tanner."

"Likewise," was the reply, as the men shook hands. "Where's the stock?"

"It's in here. But first we have a little…paperwork to take care of."

"Of course."

"Now if I have done my calculations correctly…" Blite shuffled through a packet of papers that had both their signatures on it. "You owe me approximately 2,543 credits. All you have to do is hand over the money, and you get your stock."

Tanner reached into his pocket, drawing out the single credit. He handed it across the desk and Blite took it. He ran it through the checking device on the side of the desk to see ho much the card contained. Two thousand, five hundred and forty-three credits complete.

He smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you, Tanner."

"Pleasure's all mine, Blite."

Blite stood and crossed the room to the cabinet on the side. Unlocking it and opening it carefully, he stood aside so Tanner could see the five cans of radioactive chemicals inside. The warlord smiled and rubbed his hands together as his three men stepped forward to get them out. 

They hadn't gotten so far when several batarangs spun out of nowhere, hitting all three men. They cried out in surprise and spun around as Batman dropped down from the ceiling and attacked them. 

Blite turned and ran, but Batman let him go. It was when Tanner tried to run as well that the Bat released his batwhip (I still don't know what those are called) on him. It wrapped around his legs, causing him to trip and fall to the ground. 

Batman fought off the three workers, getting them as far away as possible from the chemicals. He floored two of them when the third attacked him, slamming him into the desk. Batman cringed as he felt the edge dig into his back, despite the suit's protection. The man raised his gun to fire, but Batman released the jetpack at the bottom of his feet, causing him to slam into the man and pushing up all the way across into the wall. The man cried out in pain, then was unconscious. 

Batman got to his feet and glanced around the room. The men stayed on the floor, moaning in pain. His eyes rested on Tanner. 

Tanner saw the look and immediately started crawling away. He had no weapons, and his legs tied together left him helpless. 

Batman walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up off the ground. 

"You tried to kill my friend," he growled.

"It's not my fault she was your friend," Tanner replied. 

"Wrong." Batman slammed him up against the wall with the same arm. "You don't deserve to be let off easily."

Tanner forced a smile. "What do you mean? You can't possibly hold a grudge against me because-"

He was cut off when Batman dragged him over to the wall window overlooking the city. Opening one side of it, he held the man out over the edge, the only think holding him up his arm. 

Tanner looked down and screamed. They were more than forty feet up in the air.

"Unfortunately for you, I do," Batman said. 

"Terry."

The voice in his head again. Bruce Wayne was speaking. Batman blinked, but didn't say anything.

"Terry, you can't do this," Bruce said, "put him down."

Batman stared directly into Tanner's eyes, sensing the fear coming from the man. Tanner looked down again, his whole body shaking in terror as he gripped onto the Bat's arm to keep from falling. 

"He doesn't deserve to die," Bruce said. 

The image of Max coughing and shivering flashed through Batman's mind. He had never felt this angry before with his enemies other than the ones that killed his father. 

"He tried to kill her," he finally said. 

"Right. Tried. He didn't kill her."

Tanner was watching Batman, somehow sensing that something was keeping him from dropping him right there. 

"Terry, you know I'm right, and you know this is wrong," Bruce said. 

Batman stared at Tanner, studying the expression on his face. Finally he stepped back, pulling the man back inside the building. 

Tanner heaved a sigh of relief and fell against the wall, his legs still tied together. Batman had his back to him and was walking out of the room. 

That's when Tanner grabbed the gun hiding underneath Blite's desk and fired. 

Batman spun around just as the shot was made and ducked, the bullet flying just an inch above his shoulder. Tanner tried firing again, but the Bat had already grabbed it from his hands. 

Now Tanner was afraid. Very afraid.

Batman reached back and decked the mobster across the face as hard as he could. Tanner's whole body spun at the action and fell in a heap on the floor. 

Batman looked down at him for a long moment, wishing the guy was more than just unconscious. 

Finally he headed for the window and jumped out to his waiting ride below, hearing the sounds of sirens coming in the distance.

When Terry got back to the cave, Bruce Wayne was angry. 

"Where's Blite?"

"He got away."

"You shouldn't have let your emotions get the better of you," the older man said.

Terry didn't answer right away. He crossed the cave and to the costume vault. Bruce Wayne stood up, using the cane to support himself. 

"That was unprofessional and dangerous of you."

"Oh, so you don't approve?" Terry answered, turning around, taking off the mask and leaving the rest of the batsuit on. "I'm beginning to wonder if you even approve of anything I do."

"I don't approve of what you almost did."

"I didn't almost do anything."

"You wanted to drop him out that window and I know that."

"Right. You would know that. So I guess that means you've done the same when you were Batman, right?" Terry was getting angry now. "So now you can do things and I can't?"

"That's not the point Terry," Bruce said. "I've learned from those mistakes and that's why I'm trying to keep you from repeating them."

"Why don't you let me learn from my own mistakes, huh? Why do I always have to listen to you?"

"Because I don't want you to live the life that I did because of those mistakes."

Terry didn't answer right away. He just stood there, staring at the man. He wasn't really angry, not at Bruce anyway. 

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? What I did was wrong and I know it. But you don't have to keep going on and on about this."

"I don't get you, Terry. Max has been in jeopardy lots of times before this. This isn't the first time someone tried to kill her."

"Yeah? Well this is different."

"How."

"How? Do I have to tell you everything now?" Terry was starting to get more worked up. "It's my life, okay?"

"Does this have anything to do with what Max said to you back in her room?" 

Terry found it hard to answer. "I-I don't know, okay? Maybe I've had enough with people trying to kill her left and right."

"They wouldn't try to kill her if she didn't interfere all the time."

Terry didn't answer, and Bruce started to feel bad. He just stood there, watching the kid, studying him. 

Finally Terry put the mask back on and headed for the plane.

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked. 

"I've got something I need to do," Batman replied, hopping in.


	5. First Chance

Max had been drifting in and out of sleep all night, and most of the time her dreams were the same

Max had been drifting in and out of sleep all night, and most of the time her dreams were the same. A dark figure looking down at her, muscular beneath his costume, handsome face beneath the mask. 

And now she was awake, the only light coming from the moon outside her window. She looked around…and blinked.

Just like in her dreams, Batman stood by her window, watching her.

She just stared at him, not sure if it was real or not. He didn't move for a long time, just watching her. She smiled a little bit. She didn't care if this was a dream or not. She wanted him with her no matter what.

And just like her dreams, he walked over to her quietly, barely making a noise. She watched him approach, lean down, and kiss her on the mouth. 

She was surprised, but glad as the kiss got deeper. When he finally pulled away, she reached up and pulled off his mask. Terry's handsome face looked down at her, black bangs in his hair, brown, deep eyes. She smiled up at him. 

Then they were kissing again and she reached around his neck, holding him close. They stayed in this position for a long time, feeling his hands against her back, ruffling her fingers in his hair. She never wanted the feeling to end.

When they finally broke the kiss, they were breathing hard and smiling at each other. Terry put a hand on her forehead.

"You're still a little warm," he said.

"I know," she said. Then they were kissing again, and this time it lasted longer.

Terry felt wonderful. All his life he never felt better. Not even with Dana. He could feel her heartbeat beating wildly in her chest, and he knew she was feeling the same thing from his. And he knew he wanted to go farther now, he could tell Max did too but…

He couldn't. Not now. Not when Max was like this. It would almost be like taking advantage of her.

He pulled away again. 

"Max…" he said.

She reached up and touched his hair. "I love being with you, you know that?"

He nodded. "I love being with you too."

"Yeah." 

"That's why I should go."

Max frowned for a moment, staring into his eyes. Then she understood and nodded. "Okay."

They kissed again, and when they pulled apart for the last time, they both knew they didn't want to. But it was for the best.

Terry caressed her cheek with his hand as they smiled at each other. "Get better, okay?"

"I feel a lot better now."

"That's good."

She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. A moment later, she was asleep.

Terry moved has hand away, watching her, then leaned down and softly kissed her on the forehead. 

Reaching for his mask, he pulled it back on, then left through the window, making sure it was closed tightly before he left.

Terry expected another fight when he got back to the cave, but got none.

Bruce Wayne was still waiting for him, but this time didn't ask any opposing questions. He watched as Terry hopped out of the plane and take off his mask.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I think so," Terry replied, walking up to him. "Look, I'm sorry about everything I said earlier. I was angry and-"

"No, I understand," the older man interrupted, "I think I knew what was going on."

"You did?"

"Max."

Terry hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."

The old man studied his face, and somehow he knew what had happened.

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Max smiled in her sleep. She was having the most wonderful dream, but now it was starting to fade away. Something about black knights and pointy ears and…

She opened her eyes to the bright morning sunlight streaming in through the window. She frowned and winced, trying to block it out. 

That's when she saw Terry sitting at the edge of the bed, watching her, dressed in his regular clothes and same old brown jacket. He had his hand against her cheek.

"Hey," he greeted her, "the fever's broken. You're going to be okay."

Max smiled at him. "Thanks. I don't know what happened to me, but thanks for watching over me."

"Anytime. Are you…okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The night has been so hazy for me though, I don't think I remember anything that happened. Kind of like a big blurry dream, you know?"

The smile on his face was starting to fade. "You mean…you don't remember anything?" 

She frowned, trying to remember. "I remember how I was in the snow and you saved me, up to the time that you laid me on the bed. But that's it. I don't know how the clothes wound up on the chair, I figured I took them off sometime after you left."

Now he was frowning and looking a bit disappointed. "Oh."

She misread the look and put a hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, I did it again. I poked my nose in places I shouldn't have put them, I know, I know, I did the wrong thing and I'm sorry. Forgive me? Please?"

He forced a smile. "Yeah, of course I forgive you, don't worry about it. I just want you to get better."

"You know, I do remember one thing." Max looked intently at Terry. "This is going to sound so ridiculous and kind of embarrassing, but I think I dreamed about you. Several times, actually. Sorry if I don't remember anything more. I did have a fever and when you're that sick…" She gave him an apologetic look. "I probably said a lot of things too, you know? Things that you're never meant to hear."

"Maybe it's for the best," Terry said, standing up. He couldn't help but look even more disappointed…and maybe a little hurt. "I'm just glad you're feeling better. I was afraid something terrible might happen to you when I found you in the snow."

"Yeah." She smiled. "Thank you so much."

"Well I'd better leave you to get ready, sleep, whatever you need to do," he said, heading for the doorway. 

"Oh, and Terry?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said, "about last night."

"No problem," he said, and was about to leave, when he realized that her voice sounded different, almost…meaningful. But when he turned to look back at her, she was already turning away to go back to sleep. 

"I feel the same way too," he replied, turning and leaving Max behind with a small smile on her face.

THE END


End file.
